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The new Harry Potter trailer was just recently released, and it clocks in at almost 2 minutes.
Not bad, but at this point, having read all the books, I'm just not as interested in the movies. My kids seems to have lost some interest in them as well. And is it just me or are the actors becoming too old to look like teenagers? Better hurry with the last films before arthritis strikes the cast...
Next up is the new Christmas trailer for The Spirit.
The best part for me? The music (I think it's the Trans-Siberian Orchestra). I just don't see The Spirit working in the Sin City style. Admittedly, I've never read the original comic so maybe, but to me, a 1940's superhero doesn't have 'edgy' and 'cinematic' written all over it.
We have a 'The Rock' sighting! Dwayne Johnson is starring in Race to Witch Mountain. What emotion! What acting! Seriously, what acting?
I remember watching Escape to Witch Mountain as a kid, and while Race has much higher production values, can it be 'better' than the original? I have no interest in seeing this one at all.
The Mayan long count calendar turns over in 2012, which has lead many to prophesize the end of the world. Smelling an opportunity to turn apocalyptic fear into money, Roland Emmerich (ID4) put together the 'feel good' disaster epic of 2009, 2012. Watch the teaser, if you dare.
A giant wall of water swamping mountains in what appears to be the Himalayas? Really? And just how would that work? I think Waterworld might have some competition for silliest premise ever. The question in the trailer is a good one, and they have a good cast. But you need a good story as well. I'm sure 2012 will be high on action and disaster, but I'm not expecting much in the plot department. Summer popcorn flick or box office disaster?
Comments (7)
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Posted by JP Frantz at Wednesday November 19, 2008 at 12:23 PM
© 2008 SF Signal
Pete thinks...
1) I like the Harry Potter movies. Actually, having also finished the books, I find myself MORE interested in the movies. There were some pretty interminable bits in the books (the middle of book seven. Emo Camping! With extra Sads...) that will, I suspect, mostly go away in an effort to make a slimmed-down movie. I know I've re-watched the movies more than I've re-read the books. Plus, the visual effects have been fantastic so far. In the last film, that very fine duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort was spectacular and worth the price of admission all by itself.
2) After hearing some of Frank Miller's talk about what he wanted to do with The Spirit, a while back, I just quietly decided that life would be all around better if I just avoided it. (Neil Gaiman said as much on his blog, somewhere, as well). Make a second Sin City. But come on. The Spirit comics were great, but the movie just seems to take all the joy, and camp, and, er, Will Eisner out of the thing. It just seems to have missed the point.
3) I like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. No one is going to accuse him of phenomenal acting. But I've seen him on a few late-night talk shows, and he was on Late Night with JOnathan Ross, in Britain, and he just seems like such a nice and self-deprecating person, I just don't mind him. Um. That said, I am having to sit here and really, really think to recall what movies I've seen him in and what I thought.
4) Disaster movies are like yummy, yummy candy. Stupid as hell, but I'll watch it. My wife's favorite movie is "The Day After Tomorrow" and it ranks pretty high on my list too. And no one's going to ever mistake it for a brilliant piece of literary filmmaking... 
Posted by Pete Tzinski on Wednesday November 19, 2008 at 12:43 PM
I think it's atrocious what Miller has done with The Spirit and everyone seems to agree. I just hope the masses take no interest in it either (though they will what with all the flash) and Miller gets a wake up call. I mean, failing is one thing, but sabotaging a work is quite another.
And Water World really isn't that bad and certainly not a bad premise. It just got a bad rep after the set sunk.
Posted by A_Z on Wednesday November 19, 2008 at 3:24 PM
I kind of dug WaterWorld. Look, I can say that, we're all friends here.
Miller did a few good things, but his atrocious stuff seems to outnumber the good. His comic work right now is pretty awful, sayeth me. And what he's doing with The Spirit just looks mindless. I'd rather Robert Rodrequez make a second Sin City movie. I thought one was in the works for awhile there...
Posted by Pete Tzinski on Wednesday November 19, 2008 at 3:53 PM
That 2012 trailer is ridiculous. I mean seriously, that old guy ringing the bell - what's the point? If the ocean has reached his place there's no-one left hear it.
Posted by Alan on Wednesday November 19, 2008 at 6:52 PM
Maybe he is calling for the water to come wash his laundry? Did anybody think of that? Noooo, they just assume the little monk on the mountain was crazy. Plus I bet after that wave, his floors are squeeky clean....
Posted by Tim on Wednesday November 19, 2008 at 10:07 PM
I'm missing something in the 2012 idea there. So - the oceans have swelled due to, what, melting polar ice caps? If that's the case, then why are those mountains still covered in snow? And let's not mention the fact that, should every bit of ice, polar and fridge, happen to melt and spread out around town - it ain't gonna get THAT deep.
Ooh, wait, maybe it's not rising water, so much as the bottom of the oceans filled with land, and we're just looking at displacement on a global scale? Yeah, makes as much sense as that trailer
Posted by Kristine on Thursday November 20, 2008 at 3:18 PM
I LOVED Escape to Witch Mountain as a kid, and sadly I think they're taken out the parts I loved most. It was the siblings learning about who they are, how to rely on each other, who to trust, and what their real priorities are (I mean come on, what kid wouldn't be tempted by a house full of toys and your own ice cream parlour?) that got me so attached. This seemed like an all-action, no heart version. I really, really hope I'm proven wrong.
Posted by Rachel on Thursday November 20, 2008 at 5:03 PM